Travel and photography have taken me to many parts of Kenya. From the ice caps of Mt Kenya to the shores of Lake Victoria; from the Aberdare highlands to the slavery caves in Shimoni; but never to northern Kenya. It has been the last frontier in my mission to capture and share the beauty that Kenya has.

When I heard that God had planned an eclipse for 3rd November with Sibiloi National Park presenting one of the best viewing sites, I started looking for ways to get there. All the plans came to naught, until Safari Desk stepped in. I packed my cameras, Bonk tee and started the journey up north in a Game Trackers overland truck.

My first stop was Samburu National Park, a place I’d last visited with Crocodile Racers in 2005. It was nice being back in this semi arid beauty.

The mighty Ewaso Ngiro (river of brown water) brings rains and life from Kenya’s highlands to Samburu. It is the main source of water for both humans and animals. It flows from the western slopes of Mt Kenya and drains into Lorian Swamp.

Samburu has an abundance of wildlife. And as we were to find out during our morning game drive, it is also a park with spectacular sightings. Our first of the day was a fight between the two male giraffes at the right of the image above. They fought by swinging their heads in an attempt to strike and fell the other. I think the third giraffe was the referee. We watched the fight for a couple of minutes and left the referee to decide the match.

Another sighting was a lioness on the hunt. She must have been looking for breakfast for her young ones.

I see you too!

The zebras found up north are a hardier breed than you’ll find in most parts of Kenya. Their numbers are on the decline. But these two were determined to reverse this.

Simba!

The Ewaso Ngiro. It’s seasonal and sometimes slows down to a trickle.

We spotted many herds of elephant grazing freely.

This mum was particularly protective of her calf.

Waterbuck.

The sighting of the day was quite dramatic. Samburu boys who were herding goats chased four lions as they protected their flock. With nowhere to run, the lions jumped into the river. Just like domestic cats, lions hate water, but they chose to cross the river than face the wrath of the Samburu boys.

This is the stuff of Nat Geo legend and God allowed me to capture it. Thank you Papa!

I’ll share more photos from the trip to northern Kenya next week.